Annunciator or station-indicator for cars.



W. G. BILLERMAN.

ANNUNGIATOR 0R STATION INDICATOR FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1912.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

- s i9/H Maw COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM co.,w,\s|||NGToN, u. c,

WILLIAIW G. BILLERIVIAN,

0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ANNUNCIATOR OR STATON-IDIGATOR.FOR CARS.

Application filed May 9, 1912.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, lll/'Inman G. BILLER- MAN, a citizen ot' the UnitedStates of America, and resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, andState ot Chio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAnnunciators or Station-Indicators for Gars, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to indicating` apparatus and particularly toannunciators, for moving vehicles, which are capable ot' indicating theprogress of the vehicle by giving diliierent signals which designate ditlerent stations, stops, or localities along the route of the vehicle.

An object of this invention is to produce a new and improved annunciatoror station indicator, which is more etl'ective in operation and simplerin constriilction than similar apparatus now in use or known to me.

A further object is to produce an annunciator, of the kind described,which is wholly automatic in operation and which may be employed onvehicles, such tor example as street cars, traversing belt lines orroutes which have no distinct terminals at which the vehicle turns andreti-averses its previous path of travel.

These and other objects I attain in an annunciator embodying thefeatures herein described, and illustrated in the drawings accompanyingand forming a part ot this application.

In the drawings Figure l is a front elevation of an apparatus embodyingmy invention, port-ions of the inclosing casing being broken away forconvenience of illustration. Fig. 2 is an end view of the apparatus,illustrated in Fig. l, shown in connection with a wiring diagram whichmay be employed with my invention, For co venience of illustration thecasing shown with its end removed. Fig. 3 is an end elevation ci theopposite end ot the apparatus illustrated in Fig. l and also shown inconnection with a wiring diag 1am similar to the diagram shown in Fig.2.

The apparatus illustrated, as an embmliment of my invention, includes anindicator' or moving belt 4 which is adapted to be wound from one spoolto another and to pass across a. timing device or motion-limiting roll5. A driving agent, such tor eX- ample as an electric motor G isemployed for actuating the irulicator belt 4 and a control,-

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Fatented Feb. T0, 1914. Serial No. 596,102.

ling means, such tor example as a controlling switch 7 is employed inthe operating circuit ot the motor for the purpose of controlling theoperation ot the motor. rlhe switch is controlled by the cooperation otperiodically operating mechanisms and the timing roll 5, in such a` way7that the belt l is intermittently moved 'forward while indicating thestations along the route oit the vehicle. Means, such toi' example as arcvers 1g switch l0, and automatically actuated mechanisiy s foroperatine` it, are provided lior reversing the motor (S and rewind* ingthe belt 4t after it has been wholly unwound from one spool.

Throughout the turther des ription of the device il will consider it asapplied to an electric car and as actuated by the operating current ofthe car. l wish it to be understood, however, that l do not limit theapplication oi my .invention to such vehicles, since it will be readilyapparent, to those skilled in the art, that it may he employed 1nvarious ways and operated by means other than electricity.

rl"he indicator or belt Ll is provided on one tace with names orcharacters :for indicating different stations or stopping places alongthe route of the car on which the indicating apparatus is employed.rlhese names are preferably spaced equal distances apart and arearranged in the same order on the belt as the stations or localities,indicated by them, are located along the line or travel ot the car. l

At the beginning of the operation of the apparatus illustrated the beltdi .is almost wholly wound upon a. spool ll, which may be termed therewinding roll. The outer end ot the belt, however, passes over anarcshaped shield 8, located in trent of the timing` roll and is securedto a spool 12, which may be termed the unwinding roll. The three rolls,11, 5, and 12 are rotatively mounted within a casing 18 and their axesare parallel, but outof alinement with each other so that the belt inpassing across the shield 8 may be engaged by the roll 5 and at the sametime be presented at the front ot' the casing, opposite to a window oraperture l-l through which it is exposed to the view of the observers orthe passengers in the rear. The window lfl is preferably, but

not necessarily, of such width that only one ot. the names on the beltcan be seen at a time.

The rolls 11 and 12 are shown provided with sprocket Wheels 15 of thesame diameter, and connected together by means of a sprocket chain 16,so that they rotate simultaneously, at the same speed, and in the samedirection. The sprockets are shown so located on the trunnions orspindles of their respective rolls, that they and the chain 16 arelocated within the casing 13. The spindle of the roll 11, is shownprojecting through the end of the casing 13 and provided with a pulley17, which is belted or otherwise operatively connected to a pulley 18 onthe shaft of the motor 6. The motor is shown located within the casing13. Vith this arrangement both the rolls 11 and 12 are effective asactuating agents of the belt during both the unwinding and the rewindingoperations.

The shield 8, over the timing roll 5, is provided with an aperture neareach end, through which radially projecting teeth 20, mounted on theroll 5, extend. Each set of the teeth 20 is engaged by alined apertures21, formed in the edges of the belt 4 and transmits motion from the beltto the roll 5. The shield 8 need not necessarily be employed, since thebelt could pass directly over the roll 5, but its use eliminates thenecessity of providing a timing roll of large diameter and at the sametime holds the eX- posed portion of the belt in a substantially fiatposition opposite to the aperture 14.

The motor 6 receives current from any suitable source, such for example,as the trolley wires 22, and is controlled, as has been said, by theswitch 7. The switch 7 is so arranged that the motor 6 operatesperiodically and moves the belt 4 forward, step by step, while it isbeing unwound from the roll 11 and wound onto the roll 12. As isillustrated, the switch 7 consists of a contact bar 19, which is mountedon the end of a lever 23, fulcrumed within the casing 13, and yieldingterminals 24 and 25, the former of which is electrically connected, by awire 26, to one terminal of the motor. The other terminal 25 iselectrically connected by means of a wire 27 to the terminals of thereversing switch 10. The terminals 24 and 25 are both movably mounted onan insulatV ing block and are yieldinglv held in position by means ofcoiled springs so that they are capable of yielding under the pressureof the contact 19 and insuring a good electrical contact.

The lever 23 is controlled, by the coperation of a solenoid orelectro-magnet 28 and the timing roll 5, in such a way that the motorwill operate long enough, during each period of its operation, toadvance the belt one step forward and to present the next adjacent name,opposite to the aperture 14. One terminal of the coil of theelectro-magnet is electrically connected to a contact piece 29, carriedby the trolley 30 of the car, by means of a wire 29 and the otherterminal is electrically connected to theother trolley by means of awire 31. The contact piece 29 is located in such a position that it willengage separate stationary contact pieces 33, mounted along the line oftravel of the car and will thereby complete an electric circuit whichincludes the coil of the magnet 28. ln the drawings I have shown thecontact piece 33 as an insulating block secured to the cross or supportwire of the trolley wire and having a metallic terminal mounted on it,which is electrically connected to one of the trolley wires 22. llienthe trolley passes the contact pieces 33 the contact 29 engages it and amomentary current passes through the coil of the magnet 28 andenergizing the magnet, causes it to attract the adjacent end of thelever 23 and thereby move the contact bar 19 into engagement with theterminals 24 and 25. This completes the motoractuating circuit andcauses the motor G to start. The lever 23 is provided with a lug 34,which normally projects into a slot or aperture formed in the surface ofthe roll 5 and permits the lever to occupy such a position that theswitch 7 is held open. The lug, however, is of such length that it willhold the switch 7 closed while the belt 4 is moving forward, by engagingthe peripheral surface of the roll 5. The starting of the motor movesthe belt 4 forward and consequently turns the timing roll so that theaperture in the roll, moves from under the lug As soon as the momentarycurrent ceases to flow through the magnet 28 the lever 23 tends to moveback to its normal position and to thereby open the switch 7 but it isprevented from doing so, until the roll 5 has made one completerevolution, at which time the recess in the surface of the roll movesunder the lug 34 and permits the lever to drop back away from thearmature of the magnet 28 and to break the electrical connection betweenthe terminals 24 and 25. This stops the motor 6 and also stops theforward motion of the belt. The principal advantage of this constructionis that the motor continues to operate until the belt is moved forwardthe desired amount and that the belt is then positively held in positionuntil the motor is again actuated to move it forward. This is insured bythe fact that the timing roll 5 is positively actuated by the belt 4through the agency of the teeth 29. lt will be understood that thelength of time the motor operates, during each period of operation, maybe varied by varying the diameter of the timing roll 5, or by providingtwo or more apertures in its surface for receiving the lug 34. It willalso be understood that various means may be employed for timing theoperation of the motor, but that the timing device is more effective andthe operation of the apparatus more positive when the timing device isactuated by the indicator or belt, itself.

ln the drawings l have illustrated means for reversing the motor 6, andrewinding the belt 4- upon the roll li after it has been fully unwound,and l have also disclosed automatic means for stopping the motor andstarting it in a forward direction after the belt has been rewound ontothe roll li. The means illustrated for reversing the motor consists ofthe reversing switch l0 and mechanisms actuated by the roll 1l forshifting the switch from the forward to the reversing position. Themechanisms illustrated for accomplishing this include a pin 86,pivotally mounted on a bell crank 37, and yieldingly held against theroll of belt 4, on the roll ll, by means of a spring 88. The linger isso located that it will engage a recess 39 formed in the peripheral faceof the roll 1l, when the recess is uncovered by unwinding of the belt 4from the roll ll. The engagement of the linger with the recess 39suddenly stops the motion of the roll 1l but the impact of the rollagainst the linger is su'llicient to shift the bell crank 37 about astationary pin 40, on which it is pivotally mounted, and to therebyshift the reversing switch l0 from the forward position, shown in Figs.l and 2, to the reversing` position. Vihis shifting' of the switch isaccomplished through the agency of a pivotally mounted bell crank 41 andconnecting links.

During the rewinding operation it is nec essary to hold the lever 23 inthe operative position, so that the switch 7 is held closed and so thatthe lug 34 is held out of engagement with the recess formed in thesurface of the roll This is accomplished, in the illustrated embodimentof my invention, by providing a switch 42-which, when closed delivers acontinuous current through the coil of the electro-magnet 28a-and whichis closed, during the entire rewinding operation. The switch 42, ismechanically connected to the reversing switch i0 and is moved by theswitch l0 to the open position when the switch 10 is moved to theforward or unwinding position, and the switch 42 is moved to the closedposition when the switch l() is moved to the reversing position. Thisenergizes the magnet 2S, during the entire reversing' operation andconsequently holds the lug 34 of the lever 23 out of engagement with therecess in the surface of the roll 5. llllhen the belt 4 is fully rewoundon the roll il the switch l0 is moved back to the normal position bymeans of a pin 43, which is mounted on a pivotally mounted bell crank 44and is adapted to engage an aperture formed in the peripheral face ofthe roll l2. The operation of the pin 43 with reference to the roll l2is similar to that of the pin 36 with reference to the roll 11 and itactuates the switch through the agency of the bell crank 45 andconnecting links.

ln the drawings l have diagrammatically illustrated a system of wiring,which may be employed in connection with my inventien. l/Vhile thediagram discloses a two wire trolley system, it will be apparent, tothose skilled in the art, that the system of wiring illustrated may beemployed in connection with a single wire system in which the rail isemployed as the return, or it may be employed with any system now inuse. One trolley 30 is electrically connected by means of a wire 46 toone arm 47, of the reversing switch. The other arm 48 of the switch iselectrically connected to the return leg of the circuit or, asillustrated, to the other trolley, by means of a wire 4S). The arms 47and 4S of the reversing switch l0, are shown secured together by meansof a link and they are adapted to move across and make contact withseparate contacts 5l, 52, 53 and 54. The contacts 5l and are connectedtogether and are connected to the terminal 25 of the switch 7 by meansof the wire 27. The other terminal 24, of the switch 7, is, as has beensaid, connected to one terminal of the motor (5 and the other terminalof the motor is electrically connected to the contacts 52 and 53, of thereversing` switch, by means of a wire Duringthe forward motion of thebelt 4 the operating current of the motor passes from the trolley 30,through the wire 4G, the arm 47, of the reversing switch, the contact5l, the wire 27, the switch 7 and the wire 24- to the motor. The returncurrent from the motor passes through the wire 55, the terminal 53, thearm 4S, of the switch l0, and the wire 49. lhen the switch is moved tothe reversing position by the operation of the finger 36, the arm 47 ismoved into contact with the terminal and the arm 48 is moved intocontact with the terminal This causes the current from the trolley 30,to flow through the wire 46, the arm 47, the contact 48 and the wire tothe motor. The return current from the motor passes through the wire 2G,the switch 7, the wire 27, the contact 54, the arm 4S and the wire 49.1While the reversing` switch is in the position described, the switch 42is moved to such a position that it delivers current from the wire 4G toone terminal of the winding of the magnet 28. This is accomplished byelectrically connectingthe contact piece, of the switch 42, to the wire4G, by means of a wire 5G and by connecting the switch arm to theterminal of the coil of the magnet 2S by a wire 57. rlhis causes acontinuous current flow from the trolley 3G, through the wire 46, thewire 5G, the coil of the magnet, and through the wire 3l back to thereturn, while the switch i0 is in the reversing position.

The operation of the apparatus is briefly as follows: The parts are soadjusted that the lug 34 of the lever 23 engages the recess in the roll5, when the belt 4 is in one .of it-s sign or namesexhibitingposit-ions. This, as has been said, locks the belt in position and opensthe motor-operating circuit. As the trolley 30 passes one of the contactpieces 33, the contact piece 29 engages it and sends a momentary currentthrough the coil of the magnet 28, and thereby lifts the lug 34 out ofengagement with the roll 5 and closes t-he switch 7. The currenttraversing the magnet is of suliicient duration to hold the leveragainst the armature of the magnet, until the roll 5 has been turnedsuflicient, byA the forward movement of the belt 4, to move the recessin its surface from under the lug 34 and to thereby prevent the leverfrom moving back to its normal position and breaking the motor operatingcircuit. The roll 5 is turned by the belt 4, and consequently the motorwill continue to operate until the belt has advanced to its nextnameexhibiting position, and then the lug 34 will drop back into therecess in the surface of the roll 5 and will break the motor-operatingcircuit and lock the belt in the proper position. This operation will berepeated as the contact piece 29 engages the successive contact pieces83, along the route of the car, and until the belt 4 is wholly unwoundfrom the roll ll. The motor 5, will then be reversed, as has beendescribed, and the belt will be rewound on the roll l1. It will beunderstood that a manually operated switch may be employed forenergizing the magnet. 2S when desired, and thereby setting the belt inthe proper position corresponding to the position of the car on itsroute. This has been omitted from the drawings for the sake ofclearness. It will also be understood that while I have illustrated anddescribed the now preferred embodiment of my invention, that many andvarious changes in the details of construction, arrangement and locationof parts, may be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

`What I claim is:

l. In a device of the character described, an indicator belt, rolls onwhich said belt is wound, mechanisms for actuating said rolls, a drivingagent for actuating said mechanisms. a timing device for limiting theforward motion of the belt, means for controlling said mechanism torewind the belt, and means actuated by said last-mentioned means forrendering the timinfy device inoperative during the rewinding operation.

2. 1n an apparatus of the characterl described, an indicator belt, rollson which said belt is carried, an agent for actuating said rolls to movesaid belt forward and backward, means for controlling the operation ofsaid agent, a timing device for limiting the forward motion of the belt,means actuated by one of the rolls for reversing the driving agent afterthe belt has completed its forward motion and means for rendering saidtiming device inoperative during the reversing operation.

3. Tn a device of the character described, an indicator belt, means foractuating the belt, a timing device for controlling the operation ofsaid means to limit the forward motion of the belt, means forcontrolling said belt-actuating means to reverse the motion of the belt,and means actuated by said last mentioned means for rendering saidtiming device inoperative during the reversing operation.

4. In a device of the character described, an indicator belt, rolls onwhich said belt is wound, a motor for actuating each of said rolls, aswitch for controlling the operation of the motor during the forwardmotion of the belt, an electro-magnet for actuating said switch, meansoperatively connected to the exposed portion of the belt for timing theoperation of the switch, a reversing switch for reversing the motor toreverse the motion of the belt, mechanical means actuated by said rollsfor shifting said reversing switch, and means actuated by the switch forrendering said electromagnet operative during the reversing operation.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair of rolls, a beltwound on said rolls and exposed to view at an intermediate point betweenthe rolls, a motor for driving said rolls to move said belt, a switchfor controlling the operation of the motor, momentarily operative meansfor actuating said switch, a timing device for the switch, operativelyconnected to the exposed portion of the belt, a reversing switch forreversing said motor and the direction of motion of the belt, meansactuated by the rolls for actuating the reversing switch, and means forholding said first mentioned switch closed during the reversingoperation of the motor.

6. 1n a device of the character described, an indicator belt, rolls foractuating the belt, a motor for actuating the rolls, a control switchfor controlling the operation of the motor, an electro-magnet for movingsaid switch to a closed position, means operatively connected to thebelt for holding the switch in a closed position and for thereby timingthe operation of the belt-actuating motor during the forward motion ofthe belt, a reversing switch, for reversing the motor to reverse themotion of the belt, mechanical means controlled by said rolls, forshifting said reversing switch, and means actuated by the reversingswitch for rendering said electro-magnet operative, to hold the controlswitch in the closed position during the reversing operation.

7. ln an apparatus of the character described, a pair of rolls, a beltactuated by said rolls and exposed to view at an intermediate pointbetween the rolls, a motor for driving the rolls, to move the belt, acontrol switch for controlling the operation of the motor, momentarilyoperative means for moving said switch to a cle-sed position, a timingdevice, operatively connected to the belt, for holding the switch in theclosed position and thereby timing the forward operation of the motor, areversing switch for reversing the motor and the direction of motion ofthe belt, means, controlled by the belt-actuating rolls, for shiftingthe reversing switch from one position to another, and means forrendering said momentarily operative means operative during the entirereversing operation and for thereby closing said cont-rol switch duringthe reversing operation,

8. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair ol rolls, a beltwound on said rolls, and having a portion thereof exposed to view, amotor for driving said rolls to wind the belt from one roll to theother, a control switch for controlling the operation of the motor, anelectro-magnet for controlling the operating of the switch, means fordelivering a momentary current to the electro-magnet, a timing devicefor the control switch, operatively connected to the belt, a reversingswitch for reversing the motor and the direction of motion of the belt,means actuated by the rolls for shifting the reversing switch, andmeans, actuated by said last-mentioned means, for delivering current tothe electro-magnet during the reversing operation, and for therebyholding said control switch in a closed position during the reversingoperation of the motor.

WILLIAM G. BILLERMAN.

Witnesses RALPH H. INo'r'r, WALTER F. MURRAY.

Gopes of this patent may bc obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patenti, Washington, D. C."

